Carrying On
by P.J. Lowry
Summary: It's just another day as Dick tries to restore order to Gotham City in a world without Batman. This story takes place just after the 'Final Crisis' series and during the 'Battle for the Cowl'.


After the crisis had been adverted, Dick and Barbara quickly assembled 'The Network' – a group of allies they could trust in a critical situation. The current chaos in the streets was definitely something Dick wouldn't hesitate to call 'critical'. The aftermath of Darkseid's invasion had left most of the country and the planet in disarray, pushing everyone across the globe to their true limits. Gotham City was clearly hit the hardest as their defender had been taken away. The city was in a downward spiral, and going down fast. The mayor had declared a state of emergency, and the President had called the Governor to let him know that the Military was ready to take to the streets if they were needed. The city was being torn to pieces and needed help as much as humanly possible.

That's when the network was put into action. However, this siege seemed to be never ending and it was exhausting them as well. Dick was feeling like someone who invited some friends over to move boxes for a few hours, only to keep them all day to move the heavy furniture. This 'crunch' they were experiencing was brutal, and showing no signs of dying down. A curfew had been put in place, which Dick actually appreciated as it meant the chances of innocent people being in the line of fire at night was minimal. Yet no matter how hard anyone tried, it was difficult to fight the gangs that were clashing to expand or keep their turf in a city that was being forced to accept life with Batman. Even the smaller gangs that never moved out of fear of the bat had come out from under their rocks to take advantage of the chaos, eager to make something of themselves.

Dick felt for his team and for the police as well. Gotham's finest had been pushed to the edge. Enduring long, thankless shifts and having their families threatened, many police officers had seen no option but to quit. The rioting, the looting... it was all a telling sign of how much Gotham depended on Batman to always being around. Without that glue to keep things together, everything fell down like a house of cards. Life without him was just unimaginable until the day actually came. Until the day Darkseid came back to earth and killed Gotham's Dark Knight with his brutal Omega Beams. Dick tried not to think about it, but it was just too hard to avoid. Bruce was gone, and he wasn't coming back. Not only did he have to live with that fact, so did the entire city that took the protection he provided for granted. Right now the people were scared and looking for a new savior, someone to take back the streets. They were looking for a Batman. At the moment any Batman would do since that was better than what they had right now, which was no Batman at all.

Dick returned to the cave, eager to get a little rest before the next problem started. The last time he tried to get some shut eye, he was awoken two hours into his snooze by another gang related shoot out. Once parked back at headquarters, he quickly raced up to the computer and checked the system. Nothing new had broken out and the events that were ongoing were under control or dispersed. Dick took his mask off and walked over to a cot that he had strategically placed in the cave. He wasn't ready to go back to the manor as just the sight of the place was too much for him to handle. He couldn't even look Alfred in the eyes, let alone speak with him... so it was best for him to remain in the cave for the time being. He thought of taking a shower and then hopping into a new suit, but was just too tired to do that much. He walked over to the cot that was on the platform next to the main computer and settled down. It only took a few moments to him to fall asleep.

_"Wake up, Dick."_

"Give me a few more minutes, I already have everything packed for school."

"It's Saturday, you goof." the voice replied, "You don't have school today. We're going to be late for lunch."

"Lunch?" Dick said as sat up. He paused for a second and looked back up at Bruce, "What lunch?"

"I made a reservation at a place I think you'll like." Bruce answered. "Get dressed and we'll go out and get something to eat."

"What about work?" Dick asked.

"I took care of that while you were sleeping in. Things are covered."

"All right!" Dick said as he took off to get changed. As he emerged from the large walk in closet changed and ready to go, there was something on his mind. "Why are you being so nice today? Usually on Saturdays you wake me up for more training and some of those brutal exercises."

"True." Bruce confirmed, "But today is different." He dug into his pocket and produced a small envelope. "Happy Birthday, Dick."

Dick looked up in complete awe. He never told him about his birthday, but this was Bruce he was talking about here. This is the guy capable of figuring out anything pretty much anytime he wanted. The last person you should try to get something by without him noticing. "Thanks." He said with an appreciative smile.

"Well... aren't you going to open it?" Bruce asked eager to see his reaction.

Dick opened the envelope and looked inside. He couldn't believe what he was holding in his hand as he looked back up at Bruce with a huge grin on his face. "Awesome!"

Dick slowly opened his eyes. There was an alarm going off at the main computer. He groaned loudly as he got up and out of the cot and slowly made his way to the console. He paused for a moment when he arrived to the main console and looked down at the chair. The same one that Bruce used to kick him out of for watching cartoons on the big screen when he should have been screening police channels. He took a deep breathe and sat down before punching a key that brought Tim's echoing voice through. "Nightwing, did I wake you?"

"No rest for the wicked." Dick quickly replied as he rubbed his eyes.

"Or from them in this matter." Tim quickly quibbled, "We have another stand off between Penguin and Two-Face's men. Squire and I are on our way there now to back up Batgirl."

"Do you require and help?"

"No, it's just grunt work. Keep an eye over us and I'll ring ya if we need anything else."

"No problem bro, I'll be here in the cave if you need anything." Dick replied as he turned off the console. He looked around to see if he had left anything lying around that he could drink but every bottle and glass was empty. His nerves were really beginning to fray as Dick slapped all the cups on the desk in frustration and let them tumble down the stairs or over the edge and in the cavern. He started to watch the map and turned on police channels to listen for activity like he used to do all the time so long ago. While he was watching the map, things seemed to be going all right when Dick's eyes started to become heavy again.

_"Are you sure you need another soda?" Bruce asked._

"I'm fine. This is amazing!" Dick replied as he jumped up and down in his seat. The Knights had just moved the ball down the field sixty yards and were threatening to score again and complete a huge comeback by football standards. Bruce had purchased killer seats for the game for the big day, knowing this was a sport that Dick enjoyed watching and they rarely spend time together that wasn't work related.

Bruce was happy to do something for Dick's thirteenth birthday and went out of his way to make sure that their night profession didn't interfere this time. Dick knew he had to call in a few favors to make it happen, but it was an effort that wasn't lost on him. They had talked about doing something like this, like a family, but never found the time to do it. Things seemed to be taking a turn for the better on the field until something horrible happened. The quarterback took three steps back and tried to fire in a quick pass to their top receiver but the corners were waiting for it. One of them jumped up and intercepted the ball. "No!" Dick called out as he watched the corner take the ball and start to scramble down the field and score a touchdown.

"Wow, that wasn't good." Bruce observed from his seat. "That pretty much puts the game out of reach."

"Ahhh man!" Dick said as he kicked the seat in front of him. "What a waste of a good drive! This ruins everything!"

"Do you really mean that?" Bruce asked.

"Well, no." Dick said, "I was actually talking about the Knight's chances of making the playoffs…"

"Well, there's always next season." Bruce said as he put a comforting arm on Dick's shoulder. "How we deal with loss is just as important as how we deal with success." he softly said, "When things go wrong, we have to be strong and have faith that things will get better."

"Are we still talking about football?" Dick asked.

"This applies to all aspects of life, Dick." Bruce answered, "If things don't look good, do your best to get through it. Hard work and resolve is what fixes problems, not shouting at the people who are doing their best."

Dick looked back to him. "I understand."

Dick opened his eyes when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder as there was another person in the cave with him. He quickly opened his eyes and looked back at the console in front of him to discover had been asleep another six hours. He turned around and standing there was Tim. "Where's Knight and Squire?" he quickly asked.

"They'll be in later." Tim answered. "They prefer to look around before calling it a day. Batgirl went home to get a little shut eye herself. She's ready to pass out from exhaustion."

"I know the feeling." Dick grunted to concur.

"You all right?" Tim asked someone concerned.

"I'm okay." Dick answered as he stepped out of the chair and started to walk towards the elevator. "I'm going up to the manor to take a shower and get something to eat. You gonna be okay down here?"

"I'll be all right." Tim answered as he watched Dick walk towards the elevator. "Dick?" he called out.

"Yeah." He said as he stopped just short of the exit.

"Do you think we have what it takes to get through this?"

Dick paused for a moment. "I was once told that when things go wrong, we have to be strong and have faith that things will get better. That hard work and resolve is all we need to get through any crisis."

"Who told you that?" Tim asked.

"Who do you think?" Dick said returning the question with one of his own.

"Oh." Tim responded with a shocked look on his face. "Thanks."

"No problem." Dick said as he opened the door. "I'm going to order a pizza. I'll ring you when it gets here. The usual okay?"

"Yeah... that sounds good actually." Tim said as he started to rub his belly and finally realize how long he had been out there. "Dick!" he suddenly called out.

Dick stopped again and turned around. "Yes?"

"Happy birthday."

Dick smiled. "Thanks." He turned back to the elevator and went up to the manor. Bruce was always right: as long as they had the resolve and ability to keep fighting, things no matter how bad they got were going to eventually turn for the good. He and Tim had to be strong not only for Bruce but for the people of Gotham. He had no intention of letting his mentor down and he was pretty sure Tim felt the same way. Eventually someone would have to step up and take over, bring the Dark Knight back to the city. For now the goal was to restore order and everything else could be figured out after everyone had a chance to catch their breath and think.


End file.
